More User Reviews:

Appearance - The head came up nicely, covering a clear orangish brown body.

Smell - The aroma here was quite nice. It reminded me a bit of Old Stock. The fruits especially came on strong. The summertime melons mixed well with the darker raisins and plums. The oranges and cherries were lighter, and all this was soaked in several types of sugars (brown being my favorite) and alcohol. The lightly-toasted malt base brought up the rear.

Taste - The fruits really came out at the taste. This is not a heavy-hitter but more of an easy-drinker. It is very sweet and sugary with lots of fruits competing for the drinker's attention. This is like a malty fruit juice and, again, a nice alcohol compliment (especially considering that the ABV is kind of light for the style).

Mouthfeel - Incredibly smooth. The mouthfeel was my favorite part of this ale. It was medium-bodied but very sweet with a nice alcohol twinge. This had my saliva glands working overtime.

Drinkability - If there's such a thing as a session Strong/Old Ale this is it.

Comments - This was a very unique take on the style. I can see how some might consider it to "lightweight," but I enjoyed the interpretation that resulted in the nice, easy-drinking ale. A big, appreciative BA thanks to xlperro for sending this my way. With only ten reviews to date on the site, this one was a real find.

Update - I logged the 11th review of this beer on March 2004 and at that time it was listed as a Strong/Old Ale and sure enough it has since been reclassified properly as an EPA. I didn't find as much fruit here as I did 6 years ago and the yeast is much more pronounced, but in any event this is a nice, easy drinker.

Poured into a Guinness pint glass. A clear golden-amber colour with medium carbonation. A head of off-white foam that disappears after a few minutes. Aroma of malt with caramel notes and hints of fruit esters and solvent.

A warm, malty flavour with a dry bitterness. Hints of sweet fruit esters and a distinctive solvent bite. Notes of alcohol. An overcooked hoppy bitterness. Mouthfeel is smooth but leaves the palate dry. Aftertaste of sweet malt and dry bitter hops.

OK, but I'm not loving it. The flavour was uninteresting, with a stewed, dry bitterness as if the hops were boiled for too long. Notes of solvent/alcohol weren't great either. This is the second beer I've tried from this brewery that failed to impress. Don't rush out to buy it.

Half-litre bottle, 'A Beast of a Beer' - relativity is also an unforgiving beast...

This beer pours a hazy medium orange-amber colour, with one finger of dense foamy ecru head, which leaves some attractive Swiss cheese lace around the glass as it slowly abates. It smells of fruity pale malt, and earthy, leafy hops. The taste is semi-sweet bready malt, with a muddled caramel nature, and Old World zingy, 'spicy', herbal hops, a subtle sweet alcohol essence more pervasive as it warms. The carbonation is moderate, a general soft effervescence pervading all, and informing an expected, agreeable smoothness. It finishes on a definite sweet binge, the British malt not to be denied, any hops pushed back to secondary status.

A decent malt-forward pale ale, easy enough to put away, given the under-delivering hops, an artifact of geography well acknowledged.

A great dark coppery color and a full two finger head that lasts.A real nutty hop filled smell.The taste is a creamy nutty,carmel like flavor,very good.This has a nice medium feel thats very drinkable and one of the better ales around.
I bought this at Tully's in Wells ME and was recommended to try it.Nice call !!!

A - A fluffy two finger head rises above a really deep and dark clear copper brew. Buttloads of super sticky lace is left on the glass. The khaki head shows really nice retention. This looks exactly how a pale ale should!

T - Again, lots of toffee and caramel with some autumn leaf hops. Toasty, malty, sweet, and very complex. Just like the nose, this taste reminds me of a big cinnamon, brown sugar, and raisin scone with a little bit of butter on it. The balance and complexity of the flavors presented here is astounding. I love the combination of toast, toffee, hay, butter (diacetyl), and raisins. This is so tasty that it's actually making me hungry.

M - Medium bodied with an aggressive level of carbonation for a British pale ale. I sort of like the tingly sensation, and the finish is sweet and very malty. I can feel residual sugars after swallowing, but 30-40 seconds later I feel a drying sensation. It's almost like it has two finishes....first sweet and coating, then of dry and gritty/hoppy. Nicely done.

D - I picked this up when making a few mix-a-sixes at the lesser of the two "good beer" stores in my town, and I wasn't really expecting all that much. This floored me. What a well made and expertly balanced brew! I could drink this all the time.

Note: I just noticed two things. First, my review is the highest so far and second, my bottle has notches indicating that it's best before December of '06, and it's now November of '07. Apparently, age does wonderful things for this brew despite the lower ABV. Maybe those toasty, earthy, butter notes are a result of a year of aging. Anyway, disregard the "best before" date on the bottle. Mine was a year past it's date and I found this beer to be quite outstanding.

When I got this one I had no idea that there was an English version. As soon as I tasted it I knew it was not the same as the last bottle I had of Old Thumper (That one was Shipyard) . Huge white head that stays had me thinking hop fest. Not quite. Beautiful clear coppery honey fluid with gentle carbonation as it sits. Nose tells me this is not a USA brew. Sweet malt and toffee. A touch of butterscotch and floral hops. Taste is quintessential English pale ale. Big sweet toffee malt and toasted bread. Butterscotch again that flows into an mild dry earthy finish. A touch of mineral metal mixed with earth dryness and toasted grains lingering nicely, along with light sweetness and dark bread. Perfect carbonation is gentle and all over your mouth in a wonderful way.medium light weight makes this a great beer for sessioning in spite of the abv being higher than is typical. A grea,t easy drinking pale ale that is a cut above most. Proudly English in taste so many will miss just how good this is. it is not big and hoppy. If you want real English pale ale you'd do well here.

This beer had a mostly diminishing medium sized cremy ivory head with fine-large bubbles.The body was clear with lively carbonation.The hue was amber and the nose was that of fruits and spices.The flavor was bitter, hoppy and it had a slight aftertaste to it.The mouthfeel was tingly on my tongue, smooth and medium bodied.This beer left a good lacing on the sides of my glass.

A = nice translucency to the beer. not much head, which quickly faded, not much lacing in the glass

S = Very bright smell. I've not smelled a beer like this before. It smells like fermenting apples if I had to venture a guess.

T = Good. Strange but good. It's very complex. A moderate bitterness, and roasted coffee undertones. Not very much hoppiness to speak of, but at the same time there are some nice flowery tastes in the background.. It does taste rather good and refreshing..

M = Even though the taste (to me) is foreign, the mouthfeel is wonderful. Tingly, bright, lingering on the palate and still bubbly going down the throat.

D = A great dinner beer, best served I think with lamb or curries. I would also order this one up with a good cut of beef like NY strip